Queer (2024): Ending Explained

In Luca Guadagnino's Queer (2024), adapted from William S. Burroughs' 1985 novella, the film delves into the raw edges of desire, isolation, and self-destruction through the lens of mid-20th-century expatriate life. Starring Daniel Craig as the enigmatic William Lee, this period romantic drama explores themes of unrequited love and hallucinatory escape against the vibrant yet alien backdrops of 1950s Mexico City and Ecuador. As an ending explained for Queer, we'll unpack the film's haunting conclusion, its symbolic layers, and the psychological undercurrents that make it a poignant reflection on human connection—or the lack thereof. If you're searching for Queer 2024 ending spoilers or interpretations of its dreamlike finale, read on for a detailed breakdown.

Quick Recap

Queer follows William Lee, a disillusioned American expat in his late forties, scraping by in Mexico City's shadowy underbelly. A heroin addict haunted by solitude, Lee drifts through bars and fleeting encounters with younger men, his life a monotonous haze of indulgence and detachment. Everything shifts when he spots Eugene Allerton, a handsome young GI and fellow American expatriate, during a night of bar-hopping. Lee's infatuation ignites an obsessive pursuit, leading to a tentative relationship marked by physical intimacy but profound emotional barriers. Allerton, charismatic yet aloof, keeps Lee at arm's length, occasionally seen with women and insisting he doesn't identify as "queer" like Lee does.

Desperate for deeper connection, Lee convinces Allerton to join him on a quixotic journey to South America in search of yagé—a hallucinogenic plant rumored to unlock telepathic powers. Their travels expose Lee's deepening drug dependency, as he fabricates ailments to score opiates, while Allerton's reluctance underscores the fragility of their bond. They reach the Ecuadorian jungle, where they enlist the help of the affable Dr. Cotter to brew ayahuasca from the yagé. The resulting visions shatter their realities, blending ecstasy and revelation. Yet, the trip sours quickly, with Allerton pulling away further. Two years pass, and Lee returns to Mexico City alone, learning that Allerton has vanished on another expedition as a guide for an army colonel. The stage is set for a finale that blurs the line between memory, dream, and unresolved longing.

What Happens in the Ending

The film's closing moments unfold in a surreal dream sequence, a stark departure from the gritty realism of the preceding scenes. Two years after their ayahuasca-fueled jungle adventure, William Lee is back in Mexico City, adrift once more in his solitary routine. News of Allerton's disappearance—last seen guiding an army colonel through South America—hangs over him like a specter, amplifying his sense of abandonment. The narrative then slips into Lee's subconscious: in a dream, he discovers Allerton in an adjacent hotel room, their proximity tantalizingly close yet separated by a thin wall, echoing the emotional chasm that defined their relationship.

Allerton, ever the enigmatic figure, initiates a charged game of William Tell. He places a glass on his head, inviting Lee to shoot it off with precision—a nod to the legendary folk tale of marksmanship and peril. The tension builds as Lee takes aim, the act symbolizing a high-stakes test of control and affection. In a moment of raw intensity, Lee fires, and the shot strikes Allerton (the summary cuts off here, leaving the outcome viscerally immediate yet open to the viewer's imagination). The screen fades on this act, blending violence with intimacy, as the dream dissolves back into Lee's waking isolation. No tidy resolution follows; instead, the film ends on this hallucinatory note, leaving audiences to grapple with the blurred boundaries of fantasy and reality.

The Meaning Behind the Ending

At its core, the ending of Queer represents the culmination of Lee's fractured psyche, where unfulfilled desire manifests as a violent, symbolic rupture. The dream sequence isn't mere reverie; it's a psychological reckoning, forcing Lee (and us) to confront the destructive undercurrents of obsession. The William Tell game, with its precarious balance of trust and danger, mirrors the precarious tightrope of their relationship—Allerton's glass atop his head a fragile stand-in for the emotional vulnerability Lee craves but can never secure. When Lee shoots, it's less about literal harm and more a metaphor for the self-inflicted wounds of rejection; the act pierces the illusion of connection, underscoring how Lee's pursuit has always teetered on the edge of annihilation.

This finale also weaves in the film's exploration of altered states, from heroin highs to ayahuasca visions, suggesting the dream as an extension of the yagé's lingering telepathy. Allerton's reappearance allows a fleeting "melding" of minds, but it devolves into peril, highlighting the moral complexity of seeking transcendence through substances or infatuation. Societally, it comments on the expatriate's exile—not just geographic, but existential—where queer desire in the 1950s becomes a quiet rebellion against conformity, yet one fraught with isolation and internalized peril. The ending doesn't resolve; it lingers, inviting contemplation on how human truths like longing and loss persist beyond the veil of dreams.

Character Arcs and Resolution

William Lee's arc traces a descent into—and partial emergence from—obsessive isolation. From a detached barfly to a man willing to chase visions across continents, his journey with Allerton exposes the depths of his vulnerability. The ending's dream cements his unresolved arc: the shot at Allerton symbolizes Lee's attempt to "kill" the idealized version of their bond, acknowledging its toxicity. Yet, in waking life, Allerton's disappearance leaves Lee to confront solitude anew, suggesting growth through painful acceptance rather than conquest. It's a contemplative resolution, emphasizing psychological endurance over triumph.

Allerton, by contrast, embodies elusive detachment. His arc peaks in the ayahuasca scene, where he admits to being "disembodied" rather than queer—a revelation that humanizes his distance as a form of self-preservation amid societal pressures. In the dream, his role as the William Tell target flips the power dynamic, making him the catalyst for Lee's catharsis. Though absent in reality, Allerton's vanishing act resolves his arc as a perpetual outsider, his guide role in South America a metaphor for leading others while evading his own depths. Together, their conclusions underscore the moral ambiguity of connection: neither fully redeemed nor destroyed, they linger in the gray space of what-could-have-been.

Alternate Interpretations

The abrupt cutoff in the dream sequence—"Lee shoots Allert"—invites multiple lenses. One reading sees it as cathartic release: the shot shatters the glass (and illusion), freeing Lee from obsession, with Allerton's "death" symbolizing the end of his emotional hold. Alternatively, it could be punitive fantasy—Lee's subconscious lashing out at rejection, turning love into violence and reflecting the era's internalized homophobia. A third interpretation views it through the yagé's telepathic lens: the dream as a final, otherworldly communion, where the shot bridges their disembodiment, suggesting eternal, if fractured, linkage. These ambiguities enrich the ending, allowing viewers to project their own truths onto Lee's turmoil—whether as tragedy, liberation, or something in between.

Themes and Symbolism

Queer reinforces themes of identity and alienation, subverting the romantic drama genre by denying easy closure. The ending amplifies the "disembodied" motif from the ayahuasca visions—Lee and Allerton's hearts vomiting out, bodies melding—only to fracture it in the dream, symbolizing how queer longing in a repressive 1950s context often dissolves into ethereal disconnection. The William Tell apple/glass evokes precision amid chaos, a societal commentary on the high-wire act of non-conforming desire: one misstep, and intimacy becomes peril. Broader human truths emerge in the expatriate haze—addiction as escape, obsession as mirror—challenging viewers to reflect on the moral complexities of pursuing connection in a world that deems it "queer" or deviant. Symbolically, the adjacent hotel rooms represent parallel lives brushing against each other, a poignant subversion of unity.

Final Thoughts

Luca Guadagnino's Queer ends not with a bang, but with a shot that echoes through the silence of unrequited yearning—a masterful stroke that elevates the film from intimate character study to profound meditation on the human condition. By leaving the dream's outcome suspended, it mirrors life's ambiguities, forcing us to dwell in the discomfort of loss and the allure of fantasy. This ending works brilliantly because it honors Burroughs' raw, unflinching voice, blending psychological depth with subtle societal critique without pandering to resolution. For fans dissecting Queer 2024's finale, it's a reminder that true connection often resides in the spaces between—elusive, embodied, and eternally queer. If the film's contemplative tone resonates, it lingers long after the credits, much like Lee's dreams.